


There's Something in a Book

by HolleringHawk65



Series: Batjokes Week 2015 [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, the Joker is rehabilitated, there's some implied scrapbooking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 10:36:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4561338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolleringHawk65/pseuds/HolleringHawk65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day Four: Signed. Sealed. Delivered.</p>
<p>The Joker decides to make a scrapbook for Bruce. He gets help from some of the kids in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's Something in a Book

**Author's Note:**

> This took me so much longer than it should have but at least I got this up!!  
> And yeah sorry I got so pissed at this (my computer is being a bitch) that I didn't proof read but let me know if there's any glaring errors (or if you like it or hate it or anything else)! ^.^

He was practically bouncing up and down. The mail man should be here _any_ second and then he could get started...

It was exciting.

He didn’t get to feel like _this_ a lot (maybe it was because he was worried about the progress reversing itself, worried about _disappointing_ Bruce).

”What’s up with you?”

He looked over his shoulder to see Jason but even though the voice was that of the twenty-something year old, the body he saw was the fifteen year old. His breathing hitched and he paused in his pacing, blinking. He looked away and back and saw that he had returned to normal. “Nothing, just waiting for something.”

They stood there, observing each other for a moment. “Came here to do laundry,” Jason said eventually. “Better than having to shell out quarters… I accidentally used some of Kory’s state quarters last time. She was not too pleased with me.”

He relaxed at Jason’s attempt at small talk. “I used Bruce’s money but it wasn’t too much. And it’s for him. And I’m not allowed to have my own bank account.”

Jason laughed. “Is that was has you so wound up?”

He nodded. “I’m starting a project. Um. A good project, of course.”

Jason had come closer but still kept distance between them. “Yeah? Wanna talk about it?”

“It’s a surprise,” he explained, trying to give him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“I get it.” He looked down at his wrist, checking his watch. “I should go continue on with my laundry, uh, see ya.”

”Bye Jason,” he said after a beat. As the other turned around, his shirt turned into a yellow cape. He scratched his wrist, bringing himself back, wondering if he should take his meds early.

The doorbell rang, reminding him of his project. The meds could wait.

* * *

 

Tim was on his computer the first time he heard the _noise_. His head turned at the sound, bringing on a sudden wave of nostalgia. He saw the Joker--he still wasn’t quite sure what to call him. You can’t just _give_ a name to someone like _him_ \--standing there, a camera in hand. He was smiling, not manically, just a normal smile.

”I’m working on a project. For Bruce. His birthday, actually,” he explained as he blushed. “It’s probably stupid so don’t tell him? Please?”

”You’re into photography?” Tim asked as he got up. After a second of the Joker--Joe? Joe was good--look like a deer in headlights, he added, “I won’t tell Bruce. Promise. I just wanted to see what you’ve taken pictures of so far.”

He held the camera out. “There’s not a lot, just some practice shots, really.”

Tim flicked through them. There was quite a few of the gardens from different angles and different points of focus--the fountain, a flowering bush, a bird’s nest in the tree--and he was, actually, a little impressed. There were two shots of the dining room table set for dinner, one from each head of the table--Bruce’s and Joe’s (okay that name was _not_ working)and the Joker’s spots. The last photo was of himself, moments ago. He wondered why the Joker decided to take a picture of him, of all of the ‘bat kids’ first…

As if reading his thoughts, he cleared his throat. “You looked very peaceful. And approachable.”

Tim smiled at him as he handed the camera back to him. It was a new, high end model, leading him to believe that it was the package Jason had mentioned the Joker had been waiting for. “If you ever want help, let me know,” he told him. “I was kind of good at this, back in the day.”

He smiled, his look actually… _happy_ instead of _maniacal_ without red lipstick. His skin was still sickly pale, but it looked like he was trying to work on it. His hair was no longer a vivid green but a dirty blond. Bruce had mentioned to him that he was concerned about it all. Yes, he was abandoning the malevolent persona but it seemed like he was shedding too much of his identity too quickly.

Hopefully this project of his would help him.

”Thank you, Tim. I’m going to go play around with this a little more, but I’ll see you at dinner?”

”Sounds like a plan!”

* * *

 

Damian was sprawled out on his bed, reading _Romeo and Juliet_ of all things for school. He almost wished that an emergency would occur so that he could escape this _torture_. There was a knock on his door, which was a good enough distraction for now. “You can come in!” he told whoever was on the other side as he sat up.

The door opened and the Joker slipped in, instantly earning furrowed brows and irritation.

“What do you want?” he tried to keep the harshness out of his tone. They didn’t interact that much, to be honest, and Damian could never relax around him.

”Your help, if you can spare some time. And some paint.”

His brows furrowed even more. “Care to elaborate?”

”I’m making something for your father and I need some backgrounds done for the pages.” He pulled out his phone and showed him pictures of pictures. “I have the paper for the backgrounds--or, I think it will work. Let me know if it won’t--I just. I wanted them to be more personal than normal scrapbook backgrounds and I thought you would do a better job than me.”

Damian had a feeling he should call the psychiatrist and tell her that the Joker was acting stranger than usual. That _this_ was rather wrong. But Todd and Drake had told him that the man was working on something for Father’s birthday and that he couldn’t know. It made Damian secretly satisfied that he was approached to help.

”I’d love to,” he said. “Send me the pictures and I’ll start tonight.”

* * *

 

Cassandra noticed him taking pictures of her. She let him do it the first few times, only approaching him on a day shortly before Thanksgiving.

He didn’t make her speak, which was nice. “I’m making a scrapbook for Bruce. Do you wanna help me?” he asked her, holding the camera out. “I’d like to get a shot of the manor from all of its sides but I can’t climb trees. I can show you how, if you want.”

She smiled. It was something so… _normal_.

* * *

 

Alfred was not sure how to handle the Joker sitting on the kitchen counter, wearing jeans and one of Bruce’s shirts, unbuttoned, camera in hand. He was taking pictures of both him and the food he was cooking, while being utterly silent.

Does he ignore him? Does he ask him if he needs anything? Should he move to give him a better view of the cooking? He tried not to look over to the man too much, tried not to seem too suspicious of him.

The Joker didn’t say anything until he was done cooking. “Thanks Alfred!” When the butler looked over, smiling at him--because why not, the man had the mentality of a teenager--he snapped one last picture before sliding off the counter. “I’ll see you at dinner!”

* * *

 

Barbara, of course, knew when he was coming up the elevator. She had the door open for him before he could even knock.

”What can I help you with?”

He held out a scrapbook. “I need (would like) you to sign this. It’s for Bruce. For Christmas. It was supposed to be for his birthday but I have it done earlier than I thought it would. Um. So,” he flipped it open. “Everyone is signing here, if you want to. Dick hasn’t signed it since he’s out of town but he’s going to.”

She didn’t respond for a moment as she looked. He wasn’t kidding when he said everyone--there was Alfred, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, Kate, Cassandra, Damian, Helena, even Dinah Lance was in there. She wheeled backwards to get a pen from her desk. “You really got everyone, huh?”

He nodded as she wrote her name. “I wanted to ask your dad, but we weren’t sure that it was a good idea.”

Her eyebrow raised. “We?”

”Oh! Some of the other kids have been helping me. Bonding time, you know.” He scratched the back of his neck when she was done. “Thanks, Barbara.”

”It was for Bruce,” she explained, keeping her voice cool and level. He nodded before Jason walked in. Which made sense, considering the Joker wasn’t allowed to drive himself anywhere.

”Everything alright? I was starting to get a little worried,” he told them as he rubbed his hands together.

”I was just about to come down,” the other man told him. “May I use the bathroom though?”

”Yeah, go ahead,” she said before pointing it out. “A scrapbook?” She kept her voice as quiet as possible.

”Yeah. Tim says that the pictures are really good, and you say Damian’s backgrounds. It’s going to be really cool. B’s gonna love it.” He hesitated before adding, “He’s changing, Babs. I think it’s for the better.”

Just then, he came out of the bathroom. Jason leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Ready to go?”

The Joker nodded. “Thank you, again, for signing it.”

”Of course.”

* * *

 

Everyone was gathered in the living room, all of the wrapping paper in a big pile in the middle of the floor. They were all still wearing pajamas, even Alfred, and it was just a nice, relaxed atmosphere. Bruce noticed that the Joker had disappeared to somewhere, but figured he’d be back in a moment. He probably had just gone to get another candy cane or something.

”Merry Christmas, darling,” (Batsy). He was holding out a final present, the wrapping Christmas colored bats. After Bruce took it, he sat next to him again, curling up against his boyfriend as he opened it. He chewed the inside of his lip, hoping that he didn’t think that it was childish. Was scrapbooking childish?

Bruce’s fingers smoothed over the leather cover before he opened it, a smile blooming on his face. He was silent as he flipped through it as almost everyone held their breath, though at this point the Joker could see that his eyes were lit up.

“You all knew about this?” he asked after he had looked at all of the pages. He closed it before wrapping an arm around the Joker.

”To some degree, yeah,” Jason told him.

”It was really his idea,” Tim explained, pointing to the Joker.

”We took pictures together!” Cassandra chipped in.

”I painted the pages,” Damian stated, “and Alfred picked out the book.”

“I love it all,” Bruce told them before leaning down to kiss the Joker’s forehead. “Thank you.”

He simply smiled up at him.

* * *

 

Terry was looking around in the attic for “the black leather trunk and silver accents” that contained “books, Terry.” As if Bruce didn’t have _enough_ books in the studies.

It was quite possible that he finally found his objective in the dusty room. He had to work to get the clasp to open, but it finally gave way, revealing mostly smaller books, with no names, and one larger one. Curiosity got the best of him and he picked it up and opened it up.

He sat down cross legged as he flipped through the pages. There had to be at least a hundred of them, all looking like they were water colored. They were filled with photos and newspaper clippings about everyone from the Bat Family.

”My husband made that,” Bruce said from behind him, making him jump. “With the help of some of the kids. I didn’t realize it wasn’t in any of the studies until last week.” He shook his head. “Alfred must have moved it up here after he died.”

It was news to him that Bruce had ever been married, especially to a man. “I’m really sorry,” he said after a moment. “I won’t-”

”No, you should look at it. He wanted both the Batman and me to look at it and see our family. They’re yours now, too.”

Terry didn’t know what to say as he got up. “Do you wanna look at this together?”

Bruce looked at it for a moment, his eyes sparkling with… _tears_? “I’d like nothing more.”


End file.
